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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Out  to  Old   Aunt   Mary's 


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'        Out  to 
Old  Aunt  Mary's 


By 

James  Whitcomb  Riley 


Drawings  by 

Howard  Chandler  Christy- 
Decorations  by 
Margaret  Armstrong 


The  Bobbs-Merrill  Company 
Indianapolis 


Copyright,  1887,  1898,  1904 

By 
James  Whitcomb  Riley 

Copyright,  1904 
The  Bobbs- Merrill  Company 


PRESS  OF 

BRAUNWORTH  &  CO. 

BOOKBINDERS  AND  PRINTERS 

BROOKLYN,  N.  Y. 


V  ^ 

ROBERT  J.   BURDETTE 

WITH    ALL    GRATEFULNESS 


AND    AFFECTION 


848770 


XS 


You  who  have  journeyed  the  wide  world  through- 
Knowing  the  Old  U^ or  Id  as  the  New, — 
Cruise  or  pilgrimage  or  shrine, 
Found  you  ever  so  all-divine 
A  haven  as  first  was  yours  and  mine 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Marys? 


Out   to  Old   Aunt  Mary's 


In  those  old  days  of  the  lost  sunshine 
Of  youth 


T:         ^J 


WASN'T  it  pleasant,  O  brother  mine, 
In  those  old  days  of  the  lost  sunshine 
Of  youth — when  the  Saturday's 

chores  were  through, 

And  the  "Sunday's  wood"  in  the  kitchen,  too, 
And  we  went  visiting,  "me  and  you", 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's?- 


••• 


-.    -.  1 


The  scent  of  the  cherry-blossoms  blown 
After  us,  in  the  roadway  lone 


Me  and  you"   —And  the  morning  fair, 
With  the  dewdrops  twinkling  everywhere; 
The  scent  of  the  cherry-blossoms  blown 
After  us,  in  the  roadway  lone, 
Our  capering  shadows  onward  thrown — 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's! 


Out  by  the  barn-lot  and  down  the  lane 
We  patter  along  in  the  dust  again 


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It  all  comes  back  so  clear  to-day! 

Though  I  am  as  bald  as  you  are  gray, — 
Out  by  the  barn-lot  and  down  the  lane 
We  patter  along  in  the  dust  again, 
As  light  as  the  tips  of  the  drops  of  the  rain, 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


Loitering,  awed,  o'er  pool  and  shoal 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's, 


JV 


The  few  last  houses  of  the  town; 

Then  on,  up  the  high  creek-bluffs  and  down; 
Past  the  squat  tollgate,  with  its  well-sweep  pole; 
The  bridge,  and  "The  old  'Babtizin'-hole' ", 
Loitering,  awed,  o'er  pool  and  shoal 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary*s» 


Where  the  hammering  "red-heads" 
hopped  awry 


I  A 


We  cross  the  pasture,  and  through  the  wood, 
Where  the  old  gray  snag  of  the  poplar  stood 
Where  the  hammering  "red-heads" 

hopped  awry, 

And  the  buzzard  "raised"  in  the  "clearing"-sky 
And  lolled  and  circled,  as  we  went  by 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


Or,  stayed  by  the  glint  of  the  redbird's  wings, 
Or  the  glitter  of  song  that  the  bluebird  sings. 


Or,  stayed  by  the  glint  of  the  redbird's  wingsy 
Or  the  glitter  of  song  that  the  bluebird  sings, 
All  hushed  we  feign  to  strike  strange  trails, 
As  the  "big  braves"  do  in  the  Indian  tales> 
Till  again  our  real  quest  lags  and  fails — 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. — 


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Chasing  each  other  from  tree  to  tree 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's 


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And  the  woodland  echoes  with  yells  of  mirth 
That  make  old  war-whoops  of  minor  worth!  . 
Where  such  heroes  of  war  as  we? — 
With  bows  and  arrows  of  fantasy, 
Chasing  each  other  from  tree  to  tree 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's! 


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Our  cares  behind,  and  our  hearts  ahead 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


*2L  ^ 


And  then  in  the  dust  of  the  ^oad  again; 

And  the  teams  we  met,  and  the  countrymen; 
And  the  long  highway,  with  sunshine  spread 
As  thick  as  butter  on  country  bread, 
Our  cares  behind,  and  our  hearts  ahead 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's 


Where  dwelt  our  Saint  in  her  simple  cot 

Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's 


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For  only,  now,  at  the  road's  next  bend 
To  the  right  we  could  make  out  the  gable-end 
Of  the  fine  old  Huston  homestead — not 
Haifa  mile  from  the  sacred  spot 
Where  dwelt  our  Saint  in  her  simple  cot — 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


And  wasn't  it  good  for  a  boy  to  be 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's 


Why,  I  see  her  now  in  the  open  door 
Where  the  little  gourds  grew  up  the  sides  and  o'er 
The  clapboard  roof! — And  her  face — ah,  me* 
Wasn't  it  good  for  a  boy  to  see — 
And  wasn't  it  good  for  a  boy  to  be 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's? — 


The  jelly — the  jam  and  the  -marmalade, 

And  the  cherry-  and  quince-" preserves"  she  made 


The  jelly — the  jam  and  the  marmalade, 
And  the  cherry-  and  quince-"preserves"  she  made! 
And  the  sweet-sour  pickles  of  peach  and  pear, 
With  cinnamon  in  'em,  and  all  things  rare!  — 
And  the  more  we  ate  was  the  more  to  spare, 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's! 


Just  for  the  visiting  children's  sake- 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's 


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Ah!  was  there,  ever,  so  kind  a  face 
And  gentle  as  hers,  or  such  a  grace 
Of  welcoming,  as  she  cut  the  cake 
Or  the  juicy  pies  that  she  joyed  to  make 
Just  for  the  visiting  children's  sake — 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


348770 


The  honey,  too,  in  its  amber  comb 
One  only  finds  in  an  old  farm-home 


CV*— ^    riff 

; 


The  honey,  too,  in  its  amber  comb 
One  only  finds  in  an  old  farm-home; 

And  the  coffee,  fragrant  and  sweet,  and  ho! 
So  hot  that  we  gloried  to  drink  it  so, 
With  spangles  of  tears  in  our  eyes,  you  know 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


Or  was  it  the  grove,  with  its  leafy  breeze, 
Or  the  dim  hay-mow,  with  its  fragrancies 


\ 


And  the  romps  we  took,  in  our  glad  unrest! — 
Was  it  the  lawn  that  we  loved  the  best, 

With  its  swooping  swing  in  the  locust  trees, 
Or  was  it  the  grove,  with  its  leafy  breeze, 
Or  the  dim  hay-mow,  with  its  fragrancies — 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


\ 


Laughed  all  day  as  it  slowly  poured 
Over  the  dam  by  the  old  mill-ford 


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Far  fields,  bottom-lands,  creek-banks — all, 
We  ranged  at  will. — Where  the  waterfall 
Laughed  all  day  as  it  slowly  poured 
Over  the  dam  by  the  old  mill-ford, 
While  the  tail-race  writhed, 
and  the  rnill-wheel  roared— 
Out  to  eld  Aunt  Mary's. 


The  talks  on  the  back-porch,  in  the  low 
Slanting  sun  and  the  evening  glow 


But  home,  with  Aunty  in  nearer  call, 
That  was  the  best  place,  after  all ! — 

The  talks  on  the  back-porch,  in  the  low 
Slanting  sun  and  the  evening  glow, 
With  the  voice  of  counsel  that  touched  us  so. 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


And  then,  in  the  garden — near  the  side 
Where  the  bee-hives  were  and  the  path  was  wide 


And  then,  in  the  garden — near  the  side 
Where  the  bee-hives  were  and  the  path  was  wide, — 
The  apple-house — like  a  fairy  cell — 
With  the  little  square  door  we  knew  so  well, 
And  the  wealth  inside 

but  our  tongues  could  tell — 
Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


Where  the  swinging  shelves 

and  the  crocks  were  kept, 
Where  the  cream  in  a  golden  languor  slept 


And  the  old  spring-house,  in  the  cool  green  gloom 
Of  the  willow  trees, — and  the  cooler  room 
Where  the  swinging  shelves 

and  the  crocks  were  kept, 
Where  the  cream  in  a  golden  languor  slept, 
While  the  waters  gurgled  and  laughed 
and  wept — 

Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


And  as  many  a  time  have  you  and  I — 
Barefoot  boys  in  the  days  gone  by — 
Knelt,  and  in  tremulous  ecstasies 
Dipped  our  lips  into  sweets  like  these, — - 
Memory  now  is  on  her  knees 

Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's.— 


And  all  is  well 

Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's 


For,  O  my  brother  so  far  away, 
This  is  to  tell  you — she  waits  to-day 
To  welcome  us: — Aunt  Mary  fell 
Asleep  this  morning,  whispering,  "Tell 

The  boys  to  come" And  all  is  well 

Out  to  old  Aunt  Mary's. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  "below 


'JUL241967 

OCT9 


OCT 

OCT 


IHZYZSSIT  T  OF 


PS2704   .094 

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3  1158  01134  32( 


L  009  588  154  6 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FAC  L  TY 


AA    001  218057    6 


